Manhunt ends up a tree; police capture wanted felon

CLEARVIEW — An hours-long manhunt came to an end Friday night after a wanted felon was found up a tree.

Around 8:30 p.m., Vincent Nutter was discovered hiding 40 feet off the ground. Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies tried to talk him down, but Nutter refused. He changed his mind after firefighters sprayed a few blasts of water from a powerful fire hose up the tree.

Nutter, 22, climbed down and was arrested without further incident, sheriff’s spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.

The Shoreline man created quite a stir in the Clearview area earlier in the day after he fled from police.

Roads were blocked off, schools were locked down and people were warned to stay inside their homes as police scoured the area for the man wanted by the Snohomish County Violent Offender Task Force.

Authorities released his picture to the media and advised the public that Nutter should be considered armed and dangerous.

Officers had attempted to arrest Nutter around 2:25 p.m. in the 7000 block of Interurban Avenue. He drove off and ditched the stolen car he was driving near the intersection of 180th Street SE and James Street, police said.

Sheriff’s deputies swarmed the area. Police dogs and a helicopter joined the search.

Police came up empty handed until they received a call from a resident a couple of hours later. Nutter had been spotted walking along a road in the area. He was gone by the time deputies arrived, but he didn’t get far.

Police found him in a tree in the 7000 block of 184th Street SE. After hiding out for six hours, he was hauled off to jail.

Nutter had been wanted on a warrant since last month when he failed to show up for a hearing in Snohomish County Superior Court, according to records. He was charged in August with unlawful gun possession and having methamphetamine.

Those charges stemmed from a traffic stop in July, court records said.

Police allegedly found a handgun, body armor and a stolen laptop in the car that Nutter was driving. They also found 22 grams of meth in a safe in the backseat of the vehicle, court papers said. Nutter is a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing guns.

He has lengthy criminal history, including four felony convictions and more than a dozen misdemeanor convictions.